Pick me
by the last to leave
Summary: After years of being just friends, can a sudden declaration of crazy love be enough to win him over?


**A/N – This is a short one shot, but I really wanted to write it. **

His hair, his eyes, his smile.

Every girl I knew was caught up in it.

He was the kind of guy you had to do a double take on, just to make sure he was real.

I knew he was real. He had been real to me for the past 22 years.

What those girls didn't know was the way he tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel when a song came on that he loved while he was driving. Or that he would always eat the pickles of my hamburgers because I hated them but refused to order my hamburger with out them. Or the way his eyes darkened when he was angry or sad.

-x-x-x-

Edward Masen-Cullen and I had been friends since before we could talk. Our mothers, Esme and Renee, had both joined the 'Forks Mothers Group' in in 1991. Unbeknownst to either of them the 'Forks Mothers Groups' was entirely made up of all the women from the DAR. Luckily for Edward and I, Esme and Renee were not cut from the same cloth as the ladies from the DAR, and decided to form their own little 'Mothers Club', comprising of just the two of them, which in the coming years would become the 'Champagne Sunday Club'.

Needless to say, Edward and I grew up in close proximity to each other. Since before I could remember Esme and Renee were planning our perfect Southern Wedding. Neither of us however, was even remotely interested in the other.

Sure for the most part we got along, we could maintain a conversation long enough for our mothers to believe we weren't going to rip each others throats out. When we were in elementary and middle school we even used to hang around each other.

But freshman year of high school came, and with that came the raging hormones of both the male and female species. I remember the day we stopped talking all together. We were sitting in the cafeteria with Angela and Jasper – our friends since first grade. Angela and I were having an in depth conversation about Kelly Clarkson's latest hairstyle and Green Day's latest hit, while Edward and Jasper were making 'googly eyes' at the Jock's table.

Okay, so I can't remember exactly what was said, but I can pin it all down to our emotions and hormones. Insults were hurled, words were said, and by the end of the day Edward and I were no longer friends. I hated it, but looking back now, I think it had to happen.

The rest of high school came and went, and we both found new friends. Angela and I became fast friends with Alice Brandon, a peppy cheerleader who had a bitchy, as well as 'slutty' side to herself. Needless to say, she quickly recruited us onto the squad. The day I came home and told my mother I was a cheerleader she was ecstatic. I think she thought I would adopt the 'uniform' and stop wearing the dark jeans, and shirts, and she could even burn my converse sneakers. Unfortunately for her, I found cheerleading as a way of releasing my rage.

Edward was the town's golden boy. He was best friends with Emmett McCarty captain of the basketball team, and Jasper, the point guard. He was on the basketball team; student body president, 4.0 GPA, the girls loved him, and he was even accepted into Yale early.

I remember the day he received his acceptance letter, it was a 'Champagne Tuesday', and we were having one of our many family dinners with the Masen-Cullen's, when he announced his news. At first I resented him for it, Yale was my dream and had been since I was 12, but as quickly as the moment came it passed and I was glad he would be a trillion miles away from me. I was certain at that moment I would be stuck at our local community college, despite my application to Yale.

A couple of months passed, everyone else's acceptance letters came. I had resorted to piling each of my college letters up without opening them. Partially because I knew this annoyed my mother, but mostly because I didn't want to read any of them until my Yale letter came. That day arrived one, particularly shitty Wednesday. Alice was running us into the ground for the final Basketball game of the season, and she wouldn't relent, and I had been kicked in the nose by an uncoordinated sophomore.

When I got home my letter was waiting, my parents weren't home, but I didn't care. I ripped open the envelope to find all my hopes and dreams come true. I too had been accepted.

After the both of us moved to New Haven, our relationship became a little more amicable… Actually, because we knew no one, we adopted each other as best friends. We lived together, were constantly talking, fighting, and annoying each other. But we liked it like that.

So, I guess that brings us to now.

I was waiting at our favorite coffee shop in New Haven, waiting for Edward. We were in our senior year. It was fall, but still freezing by New Haven standards. Edward was running late, again, so I had resorted to ordering for the both of us. Soy Mocha for myself, and Full Cream Cappuccino for Edward.

Five minutes later, I was warming my hands on my coffee, when Edward strolled in.

"Guess what just happened to me?" He announced as he sat down.

"I don't know, you were swallowed by a sink hole, and that's why you're late?" I said into my coffee.

"You're a bright one today, drink your coffee," He laughed back. "No, actually. I just got a girls number! She is amazing!" He started.

I sat back in my chair, knowing this was going to be a long conversation, as it always was when Edward me a girl.

"Her name is Tanya, she has long blond hair, deep blue eyes. Her favorite movie is Cat in the Hat, how adorable?"

"Yeah, she's a real keeper," I mumbled.

-x-x-x-

Six months later and Edward and Vanessa were still dating. And for the most part I was happy for him, what I wasn't impressed about was that I, his best friend, was tossed to the wayside.

"Al, he's never around any more. I swear Vanessa has swallowed him whole," I complained to Alice during our bi-weekly phone call.

Alice had gone to a MIT to study fashion design, and over the years we never lost contact.

"Tanya," She laughed into the phone.

"What?"

"Her name, it's Tanya, not Vanessa," She laughed harder.

"What ever!" I snapped. "But where's my friend! We were meant to go see The Breakfast Club at the old cinema tonight, and he blew me off!"

"Bells, guys do that when they have a girlfriend. I think you did that to me half of senior year when you were dating Tyler," Alice sighed.

"No, I didn't. Besides, she doesn't even know him! I mean she thinks his favorite food is Tapas. Edward hates Tapas; the tiny portions make him mad. His favorite food is turkey spaghetti meatballs!" I argued.

Alice sighed again before speaking. "Bella, have you ever though maybe you have feelings for Edward? I mean you guys grew up together, you know everything about each other, and you live together. I would pretty much call that marriage."

"We are not married, and I don't have romantic feelings for him. You're a sucky friend," I snapped, ending our conversation.

That night, after a block of chocolate, I thought about what Alice had said to me. We did know everything there was to know about each other. I mean he baked me a cake laced with sleeping pills last year when I had insomnia, and I always ate the whipped cream off his cappuccino.

I picked up my cell phone, and texted a number I was all too familiar with.

_Sorry about hanging up on you earlier. I think you were right. B x_

_I no I was rite. Ive nown since b4 ur freshman yr. I was waitin 4 u to relize. A_

_Your grammar and punctuation stinks when you text. And, you cannot possibly have thought I had feelings towards E in freshman year. B_

_Stop bein so literate. And not feelins, I jst new u wuld end up 2gether. A_

-x-x-x-

College graduation came and went. Edward was still with Vanessa, and I still had feelings for Edward. But now I had deduced that I had had those feelings for a very long time, I has just never realized before.

Not long after graduation Edward and I were preparing to move home. We had both decided to spend the night in and pack.

"Hey Bel, can I show you something?" Edward called from his bedroom.

"Sure," I said, jogging from my room to his.

He was standing by his dresser with a small box in his hands.

"I was planning on asking Tanya to marry me, what do you think of the ring?" He said, passing me the box.

Inside was a single solitaire diamond ring. It was brand new and sparkly, and ripped my heart into shreds.

"What about your grandmothers ring?" I asked, without thinking.

I wouldn't be able to handle it if Vanessa got grandma Cullen's ring.

"No, Tanya deserves something new, something her own," Edward told me, shaking his head.

Tears in my eyes, I made my way back to my bedroom.

Without really realizing it, three weeks later we were back home celebrating another 'Champagne Friday'. Renee and Esme, asked a million and one questions about college and our futures. Edward answered, while I sat staring off into the distance. As far as I knew Edward had yet to ask for Vanessa's hand in marriage, but I knew it was coming soon.

"Well, if you will excuse me, I was planning on catching up with the boys this evening. It's been awhile," Edward announced, rising from the table.

He had left five minutes later.

Meanwhile, I sat and listened to Renee and Esme gush about golden boy, and how Esme didn't like Vanessa and that she always wished I would become the daughter she never had. I couldn't take it any more. Before I knew it I was in my car driving to Newton's, the local restaurant, bar and social scene.

I barged through the doors and was assaulted with the all too familiar smell of stale beer and crawfish. Edward was sitting at a booth in the back with Emmett, Jasper, and what looked like Alice and Rosalie Hale, the token bible girl from high school. I looked passed all of that though, my eyes set only on Edward.

I planted my feet firmly on the ground, preparing myself for my big speech. I had no idea what I was going to say, all I knew was that I needed to say it.

"Edward," I said, in a high shaky voice.

He looked my way, and I heard Alice mutter an 'Uh oh'.

"You can't marry Vanessa," I told him.

"Tanya," Alice whispered.

"Bella, you can't say that," Edward contested.

"Yes I can. You can't marry her, she doesn't know you. At least not the way I do. You slurp your milkshakes in annoying manner, but you always put the Spice Girls on when we are driving through a tunnel because you know how much I am scare of tunnels. I hate that you sing everything you do, and that you almost burnt down our apartment in the first week. You spilt coffee on my laptop in junior year, but I forgive you for that because you also bought me a MacBook as a sorry present. I know that you secretly picked your nose until you were 14, and you let me sleep with a nightlight on when we had sleepovers in elementary school. You hate whipped cream but always order it with your coffee so I can eat it.

Edward, don't pick her. I know I could love you some day, and maybe you could possibly love me too. So pick me, choose me, love me." I declared, tears welling in my eyes.

The whole table was staring at me, but Edwards gaze was the most prominent.

Edward's eyes go darker when he is angry or upset, and they become a bright vibrant green when he is overcome with emotion. His eyes right now were emeralds.

I had been standing there for at least three minutes, and no one had said a word. I couldn't take it any longer. Clearly he didn't feel the same way. I turned on my heel and walked out of Newton's, and for the second time in a month I went home to my bedroom and cried.

Two day's later; I hadn't heard a word from Edward. Alice had come over to console me, and also to tell me that she was engaged to Jasper – the two had met at MIT. She also informed me that Emmett and Saint Rosalie were newly weds, and she was pregnant – quite the scandal. She didn't mention anything about Edward though.

That afternoon, I couldn't take being holed up in the house for much longer, Esme was visiting Renee, celebrating 23 years of 'Champagne Sunday' on the patio. I made my way outside in my holey gym clothes, prepared for a run.

"Where are you going?" My mother asked.

"The clothes didn't tip you off? I'm going for a run," I said coldly.

"Dear, you are quite the classic comedian, in the 23 years you have been alive I have never seen you run once, unless you were running towards a free Krispy Kreme give-away," My mother laughed.

Esme joined her, before adding. "I don't think you even ran the day you finally got to take your first communion, you just shouted really loud in the middle of mass 'What's all the fuss with these church crackers?'"

"Funny. I'll just leave you two Heathers to your Heathering," I told them, running down the front steps, only to run into Edward.

"I hate that you go through fads like you change your underwear, and that you never do your washing. You have tiny t-rex hands, and you take up all the bed when you sleep. You never eat a hamburger the right way, and you always look up trivia on movies before you even see them, you then proceed to share said trivia while we are watching the movie. You always eat the whipped cream off my coffee, even though you are lactose intolerant. I can't stand that we stopped talking in high school because told you grunge punk was never coming back.

You constantly complain about technology, but you're the only person I know to have just about every technological device known to mankind. You never exercise instead preferring to use your gym clothes as pajama's. You consume more chocolate than anyone I have ever met. I can't stand that you used to use my razor to shave your legs and that you insisted on naming Tanya after the evil sea witch from the Little Mermaid. But, for the life of me I can't help but shake the feeling that I too could love you," Edward told me.

**A/N – Yep, there it is. **

**A one shot, ended quite abruptly. Why? Because like my favorite 'Goosebumps' novels from the 90's, you can pick your own ending. I know how I want E and B to end up, what do you want to happen?**

**A few things were pulled from my own life. I'll tell you a couple, you can guess the rest.**

**My mum and her best friend used to have 'Champagne Sunday's', more recently, I celebrate any day if I have Champagne in the fridge.**

**Like Bella, I too am lactose intolerant, but will sacrifice my health for some delicious whipped cream.**

**I sing everything I do.**

**I have a fear of tunnels. **

**Let me know what you think. We all love romantic announcements made by Edward, but we love reviews more! **


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